Car roof assembly method



Feb. 10, 1959 A. A. LOGMAN ETAL 2,872,729

CAR ROOF ASSEMBLY METHOD Filed July 26. 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet l 27 Z07 y Z3 Z7 I| ||Il|| Ill" I www "I l Il 7 V w i l U Il Z5 l I W t I U" .L 'I M" I1 I ,im 5

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CAR ROOF ASSEMBLY METHOD Filed July 26. 1954 s sheets-sheet s @UOM/MMM- united Safes Patet o 2,872,729 CAR Roon' ASSEMBLY METHOD Arthur A. Logmann, Michigan City, nd.,fan'd Francis M. Hess, Riverdale, Ill., assignors` to Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company, Chicago, lll.,fa corporation of Delaware Application July-26, 1954, SerialfNm 445,756

2 Claims. (Cl. 29-407) This invention relates to rallway'freight cars and more A particularly to an improved procedure for assembling a roof' structure over the roof opening formed yby Vthe car side and end walls.

- It has been found by car builders of present daymassproduced freight carsthat the upper chord memberfor `side plate of each side wall, which extends the entire side `wall length, has a tendency for misalignment when assembled with other adjacent side wall parts. This misalignment is caused by stresses set up in the parts being assembled, whether by welding or by' riveting, and may result in the ideal or perfect rectangular roof openings, as defined by the side and end walls, assuming a variety of out-of-rectan'gularshapes or openings.

As `such a slightly irregular' roof opening almostinvariably occurs, it became evident that the former practice of pre-assembling roofs before theirassembly to the car opening was extremely inefficient, as the comparatively" rigid roof would not conform to the irregular'roof opening, thus requiring various expedients and makeshifts in application in an attempt to attain a proper roof tit.

A proper roof lit, whereby all the joints are` completely waterproof and remain so during usage, is of such importance that it has become imperative not only that an effective roof `structure be employed but also ,that an feflicient and economical method of assembling the roof to the car structure be devised. Although various methods are now commonly in use where roof elements are `assembled part by part on the car structure, the complete vvalue of the advantages of the flexible, relatively light Weight sheet metal used for roof construction has not been realized. This invention is directed to the full realization `and applicationof the advantages inherent in the roof material being used.

The method set out by the invention provides for adjustment or accommodation of the roof parts to variations in the roof openings so'that a tailored or precision roof lit is achieved, resulting in a weatherproof roof with tightly sealed joints, the effectiveness of which may further be enhanced by an improved construction or formation of the roof structure.

Thus, it is the principal object of this invention to provide a novel and eflicient method of assembling roof ele- 'ments on a mass produced railway car which effects the Fig 2 `is a view similarttoFig. 1 but showingvthe inter-v ICC `mediate roof sheets in place andthe center sheets in'the process of being applied;

. Fig. 3'is a vertical lonigtudinal sectional view of the roof vstructure taken alongthe line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the car structure after the center sheets have been wedged in place and seam'fcaps laid over the transverse roof sheet anges;

Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View of the roof structure taken along the line 5 5 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical transversesectional view of the roof structure showing wedge pins andV rivets in the seam cap structure;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational View .of the side and roof structure showing the wedge pins and rivets in the seam cap and roofsheet-to-side plate structure;

fFig. 8 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a seam 'cap and roof sheet joint taken along line 8-8 of Fig. 4

v sheet-side plate joint after riveting.

Referring to the drawings, a'mass-produced freight `car .structure is depicted having side structures 20 wherein the vertical wall posts 21, side paneling 22 and side plates Y2? are formed into a load carrying frame. The paneling 1- 22 is shown welded to the side plates, though it maybe riveted instead. It is known that both welding and'rivet-4 ingcreate stress in metal, resulting in a tendency of the side structures to become irregular and uneven. For this `reason, the roof is assembled piece by piece on the side and end structures rather than being pre-'assembled and 'then placed as a unit on the side structures, as the former methodwill tend to overcome the irregularities partially,

or to some extent conform the roof to them, whereas the latter method would leave the car wall irregularities Vsubstantially.unaccommodated by the relatively unshiftable roof unit. Itis to be noted that the upturned seam'flanges of, the 'roof sheets havev aA slight outward taper and that the edgesof the `roof sheets at each end thereofhave an inwardly angled portion. These structural features will `beexplained in detail hereinafter.

The relatively light weight sheet metal of the type used for roof sheets and seam caps is flexible and easily twisted, especiallywhen in elongated form as are transverse-type roof sheets and seam caps used herein. Thus it may be seen that by disregarding the exibility of the roof elemethod of roof assembly disclosed herein makes full use of the inherent ilexibility of the roof material by forming a roof which actually conforms itself to an irregular roof opening, thereby providing a tailored lit for each roof,

. regardless of the fact that the irregular roof opening assumes a variety of slightly different shapes.

The rst step in applying a roof consists of puttingcar cement (not shown) along the outer curved surface 24 `of the* side plates 23 (Fig. 9) for weather sealing purposes. AThis step is an optional one.

The second step involves placing the roof end sheets 25 over the side plates 23 and the end walls 26 on each end of the car structure and temporarily securing them by pin bolts 27 through the side flanges tothe plates and walls. For convenience, the opening formed by the side walls 20 and end walls 26 will be designated a roof opening. Each end roof sheet has along one side'edge a downturned flange 25a and along the opposite side edge an outwardly flared flange 33 extending upwardly from a raised marginal portion 36, and has at its ends downturned flange portions 48, the flanges and flange portions having rivet holes therein. Because of the flexibility of the sheet metal of which the roof sheets, i. e., the individual elements constituting the roof sheet, are made, the flanges 33 are resilient, and they extend resiliently from the marginal portions 36 of the elements.

The third step consists of straightening the side plates.

This is donc by placing two spreader bars 28 at a pre-` determined longitudinal location along the inner surface 23a of each side plate so as to form as near perfect, that is, rectangular, a roof opening, as possible where the sides are welded, which causes slight bowing in of the side plates. If the sides are riveted, which results in a slight bowing out of the side plate, tie bars (not shown) are used instead of the spreader bars 28 so as to bring the sides in for a perfect roof opening. It is recommended that the tie bars be placed above the door opening 29. A seam cap 30 (Fig. l) may be placed across the car centrally thereof as a gauge for proper positioning vof the side plates. This step is recommended, although the means of attaining it are optional. It may be done before the end roof sheets 25 are put on or at the same time, depending upon the particular circumstances.

The fourth step comprises placing the intermediate roof sheets 31, of which eight are shown herein, adjacent the end sheets 25 and each other and over the side walls 20 (Fig. 2) so as to leave an opening in the roof centrally thereof, the preferred sequence being working toward the center of the car from each end, as indicated by the reference number suffixes. It is possible to perform this step before or with the second step, in which case, the third step should be performed before both. Each sheet 31 has along each side edge an outwardly flared upturned seam flange 33 extending from a downwardly inclined raised marginal portion 36, and has downturned flanges 48 at its ends.

In the type of mass production economically feasible forthe fabrication of the roof sheets, it has been found that the rivet holes punched therein are not always located symmetrically about the center line of a sheet. In order to provide for this tolerance and establish uniformity in the fabrication and assembly of the roof sheets, a novel step of pre-marking each seam cap and each roof sheet during fabrication is performed. Each roof sheet 25, 31 and 32 is first put through a pressing operation. At this stage, a fixed mark 25b (Fig. 7) is placed on each sheet at a predetermined location, the location being the same as each sheet. Throughout the following fabricating operations of shearing, rivet-hole punching and flanging, the mark 25b is used as a guide for the shop personnel so that each roof sheet is placed in each device or mechanism for the particular operation in the same manner and in the same relation, the guide mark being at a particular location with respect to the device, as all the other sheets. By establishing such a uniform procedure during fabrication of the roof sheets, the advantages accrued culminate when the roof sheets are laid in place. As shown in Fig. 7, the sheets are laid so that all the marks 25b are on one side of the roof. By this manner of assembly, the roof sheet tolerances are uniform from one sheet to another; for example, the rivet holes 39 in each roof sheet are aligned with those in each adjacent sheet. Were one sheet to be laid with the marker 25b on the opposite side'of the car, the uniformity" or matching of tolerances would beA destroyed, creating an undesirable situation Where, for example, the rivet holes 39 in the flanges 33 of the turned sheet would not be perfectly aligned or registered with those in the adjacent roof sheets. Pre-marking of the seam caps during fabrication is also performed for the same reasons as the roof sheets. It has been found that by having each seam cap mark 30a (Fig. 7) facing toward one predetermined end of the car, a better registration of the seam cap and roof sheet flange rivet holes 38 and 39 is obtained, whereas were one or several seam caps to be reversed, the uniformity which always results in more precise fabrication would be destroyed. Thus, by inserting these pre-marking procedures into the overall roof assembly method, the efficiency and effectiveness of the latter method is greatly enhanced. The pre-marking procedures are optional, but highly recommended.

Next, the two center roof sheets 32 are placed in the remaining opening in the center of the car, it being noted that initially .they do not lie flat (Figs. 2 and 3). By referring to Fig. 8, it may be seen that each seam flange 33, extending upwardly from a downwardly inclined raised marginal portion 36 of each roof sheet, is not vertical but outwardly angled or flared, the top 34 of the flange extending further outwardly than the base 35; accordingly, each roof sheet takes more space longitudinally of the car than its actual Width, thereby leaving an insufficient space for the center sheets 32.

However, as the flanges are flexible or resilient as has been explained, the center sheets may be wedged flat into place by exerting downward pressure thereon, the seam flanges 33 then tending to assume a vertical position under tension. Upon the final wedging action, it may be seen that the intermediate roof sheets are shifted toward the ends of the car and against the end roof sheets and each other so as completely to fill the space between the walls and cover the roof opening. Due to their ability to vflex and conform to the more rigid side and end wall structures and to shift and adjust slightly, the

sheets automatically, due to the wedging action, adapt or fit themselves to the roof opening, also distributing in all mensional or other error which may be present. It is also to be noted that at the ridge portion of each roof sheet, the flanges 33 are slightly more flared or upwardly angled than at the ends of the sheets, allowing for more rigidity at' the center of the sheets, and more flexibility where needed at the ends of the sheets, thereby permitting a slight pivoting action by the sheets to accommodate to angular and dimensional variations of the car walls. The roof sheets 25, 31 and 32 are shown as being corrugated; however, the procedure is advantageous as well with other standard forms of transverse roof sheets and is not limited to any particular roof sheet design. Wall lining 29a is shown assembled for pictorial completeness only, the lining not being ordinarily in place when the roof is being assembled.

The sixth step comprises coating the sides of the seam flanges 33 and the -roof sheet raised marginal portions 36 (Fig. 8) with car cement, an optional step.

Then seam caps 30 of general U-section are placed over all the adjoining roof sheet seam flanges 33 (Fig. 8), noting that the seam caps are placed with their markers 30a being closely adjacent the roof sheet markers 25b (Fig. 7). It is to be noted that the flanges or base sides 37 of the seam caps angle downwardly from the cap bodies whereas the raised marginal portions 36 angle downwardly from the offset connections thereof to the main portions of the sheets. Also, the rivet holes 38 of the seam cap are vertically higher than those 39 of the seam flanges 33. It is therefore evident that by drawing the rivet holes into substantial register and locking them there, a tension joint will be formed between the base sides 37 and the raised portion 36. Such a tension joint forms an excellent weatherseal joint. It is also evidentgthat should the height differential between the rivet holes 38 and 39 be destroyed as by reaming, the effectiveness of the tension joint would be impaired, or possibly even destroyed.

It has been found that the best way to align the rivet holes for riveting purposes so as to avoid reaming and drifting is to insert wedge pins 40 rst in the holes 41 midway each side of the seam cap (Fig. 6); then at the holes 42 at each outer flange end of the seam cap; and then at the holes 43 adjacent each side of the center ridge of the seam cap. This step is performed at each seam cap 30 and it is recommended that the pinning be simultaneous on each half of the seam cap 30, as divided by the center ridge, and that the pin-up holes in the sheet seam flanges be of slightly smaller dia-meter than the other rivet holes in `the flanges, but that the ange pin-up holes be of the same diameter as those in the seam cap. By this means, a perfect alignment of all the holes will result thereby locking all seam cap sides 37 and all roof sheet portions 36 together under tension to form an improved weatherseal seam joint. The larger rivet holes in the sheet flanges allow for slight variations without requiring drifting or reaming.

The ninth step comprises temporarily pinning each seam cap at each end 44 to the side plates 23 (Fig. 7). It is important that this step follow step eight so that the roof sheets adjust themselves to the roof opening before being secured thereto. Rivet holes 45 in the seam cap ends 44 are located a scant vertical distance above the rivet holes 46 in the side plate 23 so that upon riveting, a snug fit of the seam cap and the roof sheet will occur due to the consequent pull-down effect. If the reaming of the seam cap end rivet holes 45 should be necessary, it should be performed at this step` while 'the seam cap is temporarily pinned in place, the pin bolt 47 (Fig. 9) being switched back and forth between holes 45. It is to be noted that another tension joint for better weather sealing purposes is formed between the roof sheet side flanges 48 and the side plate 23. In the fabrication of each roof sheet, an inwardly facing crimped portion 49 is formed beginning approximately halfway between the edge 50 lof the roof sheet and the center line of the rivet holes 51 in the roof sheet end flange 48 so that a flat marginal portion will extend at an angle to the flange. By referring to Fig. 1l, it may be seen that when rivets 52 are applied through the rivet holes 51 and 46, the crimped portion 49 will be forced against the side plate 23, the edge 50 being under constant tension, thereby forming an improved roof joint. It will be understood that the pin bolts 47 bring the parts substantially to the riveted position shown in Fig. 11. As in the seam cap joint, unless fairly close tolerances are held and reaming is held to a minimum, the full effectiveness of the improved side ange joint will not be maintained. By following the roof t-up procedure as disclosed herein, the desired effectiveness will be maintained.

The tenth step comprises inserting and driving the rivets 53 in all the seam cap structures, then removing the wedge pins 40 from their locations and driving the remainder of the rivets. Cold riveting is preferred, though optional. The procedure of riveting is optional, but it is important that at least the rivets in the holes adjacent each side of a pin, such as holes 54 and 55 on either side of pin 40 in holes 41 (Fig. 6), be driven before the pin is removed; this procedure being followed Wherever possible.

The eleventh and nal step comprises driving the rivets 52 to secure all the end flanges 44 and 48, seam caps 30 and roof sheets and flanges 25a of the end roof sheets 2S to the side plate 23 and end wall 29. Hot riveting is preferred, though optional. The same procedure as outlined in step ten is recommended as to removal of the pin bolts 27 and 47.

It has been found that by following the aforementioned procedure of roof application, the objectives of an economical procedure, of an effective and better roof t to the side and end walls of a freight car built on a mass production basis, and of taking advantage of structural improvements in the roof for better weatherseal joints are obtained with a minimum of effort. For these reasons, the roof application procedure as herein disclosed is deemed an important improvement and advancement in its field.

What is claimed is:

l. The method of applying flexible sheet metal roof elements to a roof opening defined by side and end walls of a railway freight car structure which comprises placing an end roof element of said material on each end of the opening and securing said elements to the car structure, placing a plurality of intermediate roof elements 0n said roof opening adjacent the end elements and abutting each other so as to leave an aperture centrally of said opening, said roof elements having outwardly flared upturned resilient seam flanges formed on their edges and the flanges of abutting elements being engaged in acute angular relation, whereby the central aperture is formed with a length less than the length of two unstressed roof elements, placing a pair of roof elements in the aperture, pushing down on the adjacent sides of said two roof elements so as to deform the up'turned flanges of all of the roof elements into substantially parallel relation whereby the two center roof elements will be forced into position on the side walls of the car structure completely closing the opening, installing seam caps over said flanges, and then securing said intermediate and center elements to the car structure.

2. The method of fabricating, assembling and applying a roof structure for a roof opening defined by side and end Walls of a railway freight car structure which comprises placing a mark on each of a plurality of identical sheet metal roof element blanks during an initial fabricating operation, the location of each mark being the same on each blank, performing each of a plurality of subsequent fabricating operations required to convert each blank into a roof element by using the mark as a guide so that each blank will be placed in each fabricating device in the same manner and relative position as all the other blanks, substantially conforming the walls of the car structure to the proper rectangular roof opening, applying an end roof element on each end of the car structure and temporarily securing said two elements thereto, applying the remaining roof elements to the car structure and conforming them into an adjusted position over the opening so that all said guide marks on all said elements are aligned on one side of the roof structure and the contiguous side edges of adjacent elements are engaged with each other to form roof seams, placing a seam cap over each roof seam, permanently securing said seam caps to said seams, and permanently securing each seam cap and roof element in its adjusted position on said car structure.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,935,772 Gilpin Nov. 21, 1933 2,000,276 Delaval-Crow May 7, 1935 2,106,895 Le Coq Feb. 1, 1938 2,350,213 Bonsall May 30, 1944 2,565,710 West Aug. 28, 1951 2,655,715 Koch Oct. 20, 1953 2,775,819 Kalbow Ian. 1, 1957 OTHER REFERENCES Audels Carpenters and Builders Guide, volume 4; Audel & Co., publishers, New York, 1923 (Fig. 3,468 on page 1,341 relied on). 

